sloan



No. 6|4,996. Patented Nov. 29. I898.

R. A. SLDAN & J. E. L. BARNES.

GAME.

(Application filed Dec.'28, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheetl.

FIG]

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No. 6l4,996. Patented Nov. 29, I898. R. A. SLDAN &. J. E. L. BARNES.

G A M E (Application filed Dec. 28, 1897.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

FIG .YIII

Patented Nov. 29, I898. ES.

R. A. SLOAN & J. E. L. BARN 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G A M E (Application filed D (No Model.)

NrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN AND JOHN EDIVARD LLOYD BARNES, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

GAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 614,996, dated November 29, 1898.

Application filed December 28, 1897. Serial No, 668,988. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT ALEXANDER SLoAN and JOHN EDWARD LLOYD BARNES, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games, (for which we have obtained British Letters Patent, dated November 19, 1895, and numbered 21,974,) of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention has reference to a new or improved parlor or table game intended to imitate closely the association game of foot-ball, the game being played with a small ball on a surface fenced in and provided with goals like a miniature foot-ball field and the various phases of the play in the actual game, such as kicking, passing, centering, shooting, and kicking out from goal, being all more or less closely represented. The game is adapted to be played by two or more players, constituting opposing sides, Who actuate the ball, as hereinafter described, by means of keys or levers.

The field is represented by a sheet of green cloth or other suitable fabric mounted at its edges on a base of wood or other material, and a number of positions, suitably distributed over the field, are distinctively marked thereon to indicate the positions of the men, as we shall hereinafter term these positions.

In order to propel the ball about the field, we provide means adapted to be actuated by keys for locally lifting the cloth under any of the men through a short height, the keys being distinctively marked in accordance with the corresponding men. If the ball be immediately over or very close to a man, it can be propelled or kicked with some vigor by operating the corresponding key in a stac cato manner. If it be some distance away, it rolls down, or if already in motion it is deiiected by the hump caused bylifting the cloth under the man.

We may arrange the men in sides, so that any one can be actuated by its own player only; but as the effect upon the ball caused by actuating a man depends (so far as direction is concerned) entirely upon the relative positions of the ball and the man we find it convenient to make all the men, except the goal-keepers, so that they can be actuated independently by either player.

To simplify the construction, we prefer to arrange that one key actuates a group of two or more men, and instead of providing a series of men in the wings we prefer to hinge the sides of the base to which the wings of the field are attached so that a whole wing can be raised by depressing a single key.

The keys are arranged side by side, as in a keyboard, at opposite ends or wings of the field, each player having his own set, and any suitable simple mechanical device may be used to convey their motions to the appropriate points under the corresponding men.

WVe find it answers very well to make the keys in the form of simple levers fulcrumed at about their centers and long enough to reach the desired points.

The attachment of the cloth to the base may be elastic to permit the necessary local lifting; but we find that a non-yielding at tachment answers well.

We illustrate a game constructed according to our invention in the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure I is a plan looking from above, and Fig. II a plan looking from below. Fig. III is a side elevation in medial section, and Fig. IV is an end elevation. Fig. Vis an isometrical projection; and Figs. VI, VII, and VIII are detail views to larger scale.

Throughout the drawings the same parts are indicated by the same reference letters and figures.

Referring first to Figs. I to V, for the sake of simplicity the goal and wing boundary- Wires are omitted from Figs. 1, III, and IV, being shown clearly in Fig. V. The cloth forming the field is omitted in Figs. III and IV, and the key-levers are omitted in Figs. IV and V. In Fig. III only two key-levers are shown, these being typical of the rest, and in Fig. IV one of the wings is shown raised.

The main frame of the game is composed of a series of wooden cross-pieces 1, nailed to a pair of longitudinal battens 2. The wings 3 are articulated to the main frames by the short lengths of steel or hoop-iron W, loosely fulcrumed by the staples 4, which are clenched into the end cross-pieces 1. These pieces \V, being bent at the fulcrum-point, serve as keylevers to actuate the wings and also to limit the movement thereof. The wings will return to normal or horizontal position by gravity when they are moved upwardly from said position.

5'is the cloth forming the field, which is folded over the wings and tacked to the under side thereof. (See Fig. II.)

The circles 6 (shown in Figs. I and V) are the positions on the field, which we term men, and they are adapted to be actuated that is to say, liftedaboutthree-quarters of an inch by the corresponding key-levers 6. The correspondence between the men and their respective key-levers is preferably indicated in the actual structure by distinctive coloring.

As shown in Figs. II and III, light wooden battens 7 are placed under the men 6, so that they are actuated in sets of two and three. These battens are glued to the under side of the field-cloth, lying in gaps left between the cross-pieces I.

It will be understood that the positions of the single men in the wings are conventional, as each wing is raised as a whole.

The levers 6 are hinged to the cross-pieces 1 by means of thin strips of steel or other elastic metal 8. (Shown to an enlarged scale in Figs. VII and VIII.) The positions of these hinges are shown by the dotted lines marked a; in Fig. II, each being at the edge of one of the cross -pieces 1. The strips are simply nailed to the levers and to the cross-pieces, their elasticity being sufficient to allow the necessary play of the lever and to give the key end of the latter an upward spring. 9 are fixed pegs to guide the levers laterally, and 10 are pieces fixed to the ends of the levers to engage with and lift the battens 7 when the levers are operated. Felt is fitted between surfaces exposed to impact, so as to deaden the noise and ease the touch.

In the case of the goal-levers G (shown to an enlarged scale in Figs. VI and VII) the piece 10 is fixed to the goal-levers and also to the strip of metal 11 and to the field-cloth 5, a fold of which is inserted between 10 and 11, the result being to extend the influence of the goal key-lever over a considerable length of the end of the field-cloth, which is otherwise free.

The field is fenced in by the wing boundarywires 12 and the goal boundary wires 13, which fit detachably in holes in the woodwork. (See Fig. V.)

If it be desired to adapt the game for several players arranged in sides, the levers may be arranged transversely or partly longitudinally and partly transversely, so as to distribute the keys and leave more room for the players.

In playing the game it should be set on a fairly level table and the time for play be divided into two halves, as in the actual game,

the players changing ends at half-time, (without changing the position of the game,) so as to equalize the conditions.

From the description given it will be seen that there is room for considerable quickness and skill in playing the game and that the play of the actual game can be pretty closely imitated. A further feature is that each player can play continuously without having, as in most parlor games, to wait his turn and that the rules may be very few and of the simplest kind, it being probably only necessary to provide specially for the contingency of the ball being jerked off the field, which we find occurs but seldom with moderately skilful players.

It is obvious that our invention is applicable generally to parlor modifications of games similar in character to foot-ball and that the actual details of construction are susceptible of considerable modification, the broad distinguishing feature being that the ball is supported on a flexible fabric and propelled thereon by lifting the fabric locally by keylevers or the like device.

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination in a game, a frame, a series of devices capable of independent or simultaneous operation by the players, a ii exible material extending over the said devices and common to all of them the said devices being arranged to locally alter the contour of the surface formed by the flexible material whereby a ball or other movable device there on may be moved from one part of the surface to the other, and the play of one player may be opposed by that of the other.

2. In combination; the flexible surface; the base; the fence, and means for locally altering the contour of the surface, consisting of a series of pivoted levers and a pair of wing-pieces, the said levers being disposed at different points relative to the said surface to enable the player to change different parts at his option or to enable two players to chan go the contour of the surface in different parts simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

In combination in a game apparatus, a frame having openings in its central portion, the hinged pieces connected with the frame, a flexible material secured to the frame and extending over the openings therein, the battens secured to the flexible material and arranged in the said openings and the levers arranged to operate the battens, and the hinged pieces, substantially as described.

-:L. In combination; the flexible surface; the frame carrying the same; the fence supported on the frame about the flexible surface 5 and the means for locally altering the contour of the surface consisting of pivoted levers and hinged wings, two of the said levers and each of the wings being attached to the said surface and being adapted to niaintain it in a stretched condition, said wings IIS and levers being supported by the frame, substantially as described and illustrated.

5. In combination; the flexible surface;

the frame; the hinged pieces connected with l by spring-hinges and wing-pieces normally tending to lie in the plane of the frame and hinged by bent strips to the frame, said flexible surface, fence and wing-pieces being carried by the frame, substantially as described and illustrated.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT ALEXANDER SLOAN. JOHN EDWARD LLOYD BARNES.

Witnesses:

H. O. REYNOLDS, RIoHD. J AS. LEnsoN. 

